Chapter 2 Tea brewer (2)

'Some say the world will end in fire.' (Fire and Ice, Robert Frost)

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A car entered the police station at a fast speed, proving that its owner is in an extremely urgent situation. Senior Inspector Lance ignored the coffee cup left in the car, he got into the elevator and went straight to the floor of the special team to investigate and prevent crime.

Everyone had been in the meeting room since when and just waiting for the appearance of boss Lance. The door opened and all eyes turned to Dai. In the team, Dai was seen as their big brother, so they had formed the habit of relying on him for communicating with the boss when the tired time came.

"Sorry for calling while you were having breakfast like that. The meeting is supposed to start this afternoon, but we have new details of the case." - Waiting for Lance to sit down, Dai said.

"No problem. The case right now is the most urgent thing we need to solve. Everyone starts going." - Lance put his hand on the table and replied.

The reports were immediately brought before Lance. Daisy said after finding out the identity of her and Patrick's victim.

"The victim's name is Jenny, seventeen years old. In just a few weeks, she'll be enrolling at a nearby university. The last time Jenny's family saw her was one day before her body was discovered. They said she would stay at her friend's house for the night. They didn't know that their daughter was missing. That's why they didn't report it."

"The previous victims are not older than eighteen years of age." - Lance heard the information Daisy provided and frowns slightly.

"Sir, I also investigated. These victims have no connection to each other, from family to study or friendship. However, they are seen as girls with outstanding talent and quite docile among their peers. They are all born into a well-to-do and highly educated family. Maybe this is the type of person the killer wants to target." - Magnus continues Daisy's words.

Dai nodded in agreement with Magnus' words. He provided more information for everyone.

"I went with the forensic department to the victim's house. There are many books in the victim's room. Her mother said that she often went to the park near her house to camp and read books on the weekends. The crime scene is also the park she frequents went to."

Dai brought up a photo of the crime scene when Jenny's body was discovered, making everyone hold their breath. The first victim of the case was probably the luckiest because she was still wearing a white dress. The next victims were more and more exposed by the perpetrator to their naked bodies for all to see. The killer not only wanted to kill the poor girls but also smear them, although they were dead. Jenny did not have a piece of cloth on her body. The killer tore the pages of her favorite novel and covered her body one by one, but did not cover the breasts and stolen uterus.

"What does he see these girls as? A work of art?" - Daisy shivered at the pervert of the killer.

Everyone sighed and mourned for them. Patrick observantly passed the glass of water over to Daisy to calm her down. Dai went on to say.

"However, this time we have a discovery. Jenny's mother gave me Jenny's diary. I took a look at it once and felt it might be an important clue."

Dai pressed to open the projector screen. On it, he showed pictures of Jenny's diary for the past week. Inside the diary, Jenny confided that she had met a fascinating guy with a wide understanding of literature. As the days passed, they met more and more and gradually became close. Dai stopped at a picture and said.

"Recently, Jenny has been in contact with a new friend. This new friend often meets Jenny at the park where the murder took place. I suspect this could be the killer. Although Jenny did not describe this person's physical appearance, everyone please look at this line."

Dai pointed to the words near the bottom of the diary page. He read what Jenny wrote.

"Not only did he surprise me with his love of literature, but he was also excellent at making tea. He said he was a tea brewer. Although it was a bit unfamiliar at first, the more I drank it, the more I fell in love with it. Today, he invited me to his place to enjoy the new taste of tea. I am very much looking forward to this."

Dai paused for a moment and then continued.

"These are the last lines before something bad happened to Jenny. This man is very suspicious."

Magnus, after hearing Dai's words, seemed to remember something. He quickly voiced his thoughts.

"According to the eyewitnesses of the five cases, they saw five girls often accompanied by a man who always wore a black shirt. They didn't remember the man's face clearly, but they did describe that the man was not tall. The victims' parents also said that the victims suddenly liked drinking tea."

"Tea brewer?" - Lance whispered. These factors reminded him of the person he had met in the morning. That strange man's physique was not tall either. Lance tapped the table with his hand. Everyone in the room knew every time he acted like that, he was putting all the details together to come to a common conclusion. At this moment, no one said a word for fear of affecting him. Lance quickly gave the next instruction after a few seconds.

"Maybe we missed this important detail. Foremost, we have to find this man. A lover of literature likes to make tea and wear black. Everyone splits up to the five victims' homes again to investigate if the victim still has anything related to that man."

"Yes, Boss."

Lance quickly returned to his room. He began to pick up a pen and wrote his thoughts on the whiteboard. Originally, this was Matthew's habit in solving cases, but because they were a pair of war gods in the special team to investigate and prevent crime, Lance was also gradually infected by Matthew. This was also Lance's way of remembering his best friend as well as feeling that Matthew was always here to support him.

"Tea brewer. Black shirt. Normal look..."

Lance thought about it, then decided to investigate his speculation. He drove down this morning's road to search for the tea house that the strange man had entered. He just parked in front of the tea shop before taking action. Lance felt that without solid evidence, he had no right to be so suspicious of others. However, he did not understand why his senses strongly prompted him to come here to investigate and this person might be involved in this case.

Lance adjusted the rearview mirror towards himself. He rubbed his head to let his hair fly, and at the same time took off his tie. Lance unbuttoned his shirt to reveal his broad chest, and removed his vest over it, then rolled up his sleeves. Now, Lance was no longer a serious high-ranking inspector, but an elegant and extremely charming man. There was comfort in his body. Finally, he got out of the car, one hand in his pocket, and slowly walked inside the tea shop called Salvation.

There was a jingle as Lance opened the door and walked in. The coldness and silence inside made him uncomfortable, too. An entire tea shop, not a single customer or employee. Seconds later, a person stepped out from the red curtain. That person was the strange man Lance had met in the morning.

"Welcome to our store. What can we do for you?" - That man said.

Lance looked at the row of tea cabinets behind the strange man and smiled a friendly smile. He put his hand on the table and made a joking gesture.

"If you go to a tea shop, you have to buy tea. Or do you have any other services?"

The man did not show any displeasure at Lance's gesture as if he saw too many of them.

"I just want to ask what kind of tea you want?" - He replied.

Lance went around sightseeing and said.

"At your shop, is there any kind of tea that just one drink is enough to make people fall in love with, even for those who don't like to drink?"

The man did not answer, but opened the cabinet and took out a small box of tea. He put it on the table and said.

"Here, tea is not picky, only people are picky about tea. I look at your face, perhaps you hadn't slept well in days. This tea has the ability to calm the mind and help sleep. You can buy it to try it out."

Feeling this man's strange calm, Lance did not continue to question. He paid for the tea, and before going out the door, he turned around and said.

"Some say the world will end in fire."

"Thank you and see you again. Wishing you a nice day" - The man still had a cold look, then slightly bowed his head.

Lance stared at the man and walked out of the store. The shop once again fell into its usual silence. The man followed Lance's back with his eyes and quietly entered behind the red curtain. He poured himself a cup of tea. At this time, the wind chime suddenly rang, and a girl came in from outside.

"It's too late, right?" - The man took a sip of tea and smiled softly.